The first post-strike baseball game televised nationally on

RONALD BLUM

Jul. 13, 1995

NEW YORK (AP) _ The first post-strike baseball game televised nationally on a network became the least watched All-Star game in prime time.

The NL's 3-2 victory at The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, received a 13.9 rating and a 25 share on ABC, Nielsen Media Research said Wednesday, and was viewed by 13.25 million households.

The rating was down 11.5 percent from a 15.7 last year and the share was 10.7 percent less than the 28 for 1994.

The All-Star game was watched by 13.25 million households, down 10.4 percent from the 14.79 million homes which tuned in to last year's game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

``They're frankly about what I expected, but they just need further evaluation,'' acting commissioner Bud Selig said. ``I don't think anyone can be surprised. We have to build from that. This is just another manifestation of the work we have to do.''

Not since 1969 have so few people watched an All-Star game. That year, rain in Washington postponed the game from a Tuesday night to a Wednesday afternoon. It got a 15.1 rating and a 42 share, and was watched by 8.61 million households.

Still, ABC easily won the night with a 13.2 prime-time average, beating NBC (9.7), CBS (9.3) and Fox (4.9). ABC won every half-hour time period.

The rating is the percentage watching among the nation's television households, and each point represents 954,000 homes. The share is the percentage tuned in among televisions on at the time.

According to Nielsen, the rating and the share are the lowest since it began tracking All-Star games in 1967. The game was first played in prime time in 1968, and all games since the one in Washington have been played at night.

While the rating was down by baseball standards, it matched the average rating for this year's NBA Finals. The Super Bowl, broadcast by ABC in January, got a 41.3 rating and a 63 share. The last game of the Stanley Cup finals got a 3.6 rating.

Among major markets, the game enjoyed its highest rating in Cleveland, a 27.5 with a 44 share. The Indians had six All-Stars, their most since 1955. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the game got a 23.5 rating and a 35 share.

With Hideo Nomo of the Dodgers starting for the NL, the game received a 16.7 rating and 30 share in Los Angeles. It pulled a 15.4 rating and 25 share in Chicago, and an 11.6 rating and 18 share in New York.

The lowest ratings among major markets were in the two areas baseball is expanding to in 1998: Tampa Bay (7.7 rating, 12 share) and Phoenix (8.0 rating, 15 share).

National ratings increased for most of the night, as is the norm. The game produced a 12.5 rating from 8:30-9 p.m. EDT, a 13.3 for the next half hour, a 14.5 from 9:30-10 p.m. and peaked with a 15.2 from 10-10:30 p.m. The rating was 14.3 for its final half hour.